Book review - Compassionate Laughter - Jest for Your Health
book review of the book Compassionate Laughter, dealing with the therapeutic value of humor, clowning, etc.
Compassionate Laughter: Jest for Your Health, by Patty Wooten, R.N.
I’m not a doctor, and I don’t play one on TV, either. I’m not a nurse (my mother is), nor a respiratory therapist (my older brother is); however, I enjoyed this book enormously anyway!
In short, it is a book for health care providers on how to clown, inject humor, and in short "lighten up" at work. It’s excellent not only for health care professionals, but also for people who do caring clowning (clowning at hospitals, nursing homes, etc.) and is well worth reading by any clown (or health care professional who wants to add the benefits of "a merry heart does good like a medicine" to their repertoire).
It’s chock-full of anecdotes, hints and suggestions for both clowns and healers. I recommend it highly.
Paperback - (August 1996) 204 pages
About the Author of Compassionate Laughter
Patty Wooten is a successful nurse, a renowned international speaker, and an hilarious clown. Across the USA and around the world, Patty’s audiences have laughed, learned and experienced the incredible power of humor in healing. Founder of Jest for the Health of It, a company dedicated to the promotion and development of therapeutic humor. Her lecture topics focus on the utilization of humor to reduce stress, cope with change, recover from illness and improve the work environment. Patty is past president of the American Association for Therapeutic Humor and author of more than 50 professional articles about the health benefits of humor. Email her at:
I rate it 4 clowns 
on a 5-clown scale.